It is well known to use detergent compositions in the cleansing of hard surfaces such as cleaning falls and walls and in dishwashing such as automatic dishwashing.
However, it is well known that washing hard surfaces with detergent compositions can lead to the cleansed items suffering from spotting due to mineral deposits being left behind once the cleansing operation has been completed. These mineral deposits can be seen as spots on the items and also reduce the shine of the item which has been treated. In dishwashing operations, as well as other cleaning operations the appearance of a shiny surface is tremendously important to consumers as it is perceived as showing thorough and hygienic cleaning results.
The shine of a hard surface is determined mainly by the builder, the polymer and the surfactant system used in the detergent used to clean the surface in question. Typically, such detergent compositions are formulated to contain a builder. Builders such as the phosphate builders can bind calcium and magnesium ions, act as alkalinity source for the detergent and are used to buffer the wash liquor in a dishwasher at pH 9 and above sometimes together with other chemicals such as disilicate, metasilicates and soda. Phosphates are also able to disperse existing calcium carbonate in the wash liquor to prevent spotting on glasses as for the aforementioned reasons this is seen as undesirable by the consumer. Thus, phosphates in a detergent have at least four different functions in an alkaline detergent: (1) providing alkalinity; (2) buffering capacity, (3) complexing of magnesium and calcium ions; and (4) dispersing capacity of calcium carbonate. However, often the use of builders alone is not sufficient to prevent the appearance of spotting on hard surfaces.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide detergent compositions for hard surfaces such as kitchenware, walls and floors, which show good anti-spotting properties, and which retain the shine on the surface of the item being cleansed. This is especially important for items such as glassware cleaned in a dishwashing operation such as in an automatic dishwashing machine.
It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the above-mentioned problems.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide detergent compositions for hard surfaces, and in particular and (automatic) dishwashing detergent compositions which provide effective shine/anti-spotting properties on the surfaces it is used to cleanse.